Police said the driver and passenger got out of the vehicle and started walking toward the officer, the officer then drew a weapon and told them to get back.

They started running and the officer said one suspect shot at him.

The sheriff's office along with Rockingham police said they were able to identify the driver and passenger based on a driver's license that was left behind at the scene. Police said they were familiar with both of the suspects from previous encounters with officers.

Reverse 911 calls were made to notify residents nearby of the incident.

"It's always scared me a person that would go after police because it seems they don't care about themselves or the community," neighbor Estelle Graham said. "Just in the last couple of years, things have kind of escalated, but nothing like this where we've had a man hunt."

No one was hurt. The city of Hamlet said it credits this mostly to the smart action by the officer involved.

"When they saw that they were discharging a firearm, he stepped back and put his safety first, which is what the police department follows as protocol," Town Manager Jonathan Blanton said.